Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle seat with a control device.
The number of electronic controls with associated sensors and actuators in motor vehicles has increased steadily in recent years. The motor vehicle seat as well, which years ago had no electronics whatever and was merely mechanically adjustable, has, with the introduction of electronics into the motor vehicle, been provided with numerous electronic components. For instance, motor vehicle seats of the prior art have electric adjusting devices that make it possible to adjust the seat back or the entire vehicle seat by pressing a button. In association with seat adjusters of this kind, pickups (i.e. sensors) for detecting the position of the vehicle seat are disposed in the vehicle seat. Only once the current seat position is known can a preferred vehicle seat position be attained, under program control, by pressing a button.
Other electronic components disposed in or on vehicle seats are pickups for detecting seat occupation. Pickups of this kind are used particularly for front passenger seats. If it is detected by such a pickup that the front passenger seat is unoccupied, then inflation of a front passenger air bag or of a side air bag, disposed to the side of the front passenger seat, is prevented.
The electric and electronic components described in the vehicle seat serve essentially two different purposes. Seat adjusters, associated sensors, seat heaters and the like are for the comfort of the passenger seated there; pickups for detecting seat occupation or restraints disposed on the vehicle seat, such as a side air bag or belt tightener, are there for the safety of the vehicle passengers.
Every electronic component in the vehicle seat is typically supplied with energy separately. Each individual electronic component, for instance each sensor or actuator, and especially if the sensors and actuators used serve different purposes, also has its own assigned control circuit. Each control circuit, for instance in the form of a microcomputer includes its own memory, its own microprocessor, and so forth. A control circuit assigned to a sensor for instance carries out a first evaluation of the sensor signal. A control circuit assigned to an actuator serves as a final control element, for instance. With more and more electronics installed in the vehicle seat, the expense and complexity of the control circuits rises considerably, while the space available in the vehicle seat decreases.